Revered for his playing on Miles Davis’s Filles de Kilimanjaro, In a Silent Way, and Bitches Brew, bassist Dave Holland began forging his own path as a bandleader with another seminal recording, 1972’s Conference of the Birds (ECM). “Miles gave us a great deal of creative independence,” recalls Holland. “He didn’t tell you what to do specifically; he wanted you to find out for yourself what you needed to do.”
Holland takes the same approach with his longtime quintet on discs such as Extended Play: Live at Birdlard (ECM) and last year’s Critical Mass (Dare2). When I ask about his quintet’s unusual front line of saxophone, vibraphone/marimba, and trombone, Holland answers simply, “I want to see them take flight.”
Holland confirms my hunch that the band’s nonstandard instrumentation exposes subtle details of the group’s interplay—a pitter-pattering cymbal lick abrading Holland’s walking bass or Steve Nelson’s vibes quietly buttressing Robin Eubanks’s hearty trombone. “There’s a translucency and transparency that lets things happen,” Holland suggests. “That’s one of the many things I learned from Miles. We share a generous amount of space in the ensemble. I count on them to fill the gaps.”
And they do, adroitly. While I really like how saxophonist Chris Potter sometimes injects his fluid lines with a sting reminiscent of Ornette Coleman, keep your ears open for Nelson, who plays both vibraphone and marimba. In the typical jazz group, the piano’s rich timbre and less-controllable sustain tends to smear into other instruments, yet Nelson’s calibrated comping—from terse, clanking counterpoint to sustained and carefully shaped chords—keeps the group’s polyphony audible to the everyday ear. Not to be missed.
THURSDAY MARCH 22
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET
Pianists Dianne Chilgren and Christina Siemens serve up some of György Ligeti’s piano music for choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s aptly titled Polyphonia. On the docket: a pair of the dizzying Études pour piano (“Désordre” and “Arc-en-ciel”) and several Bartók-influenced pieces from the early 1950s (parts of Musica Ricercata and one of the “Three Wedding Dances”). I haven’t seen the middle piece on the program, Rassemblement by Nacho Duato, but the third piece, Balanchine’s La Sonnambula (“The Sleepwalker”), set to Vittorio Rieti’s oleo of Bellini opera themes, is a good bet. Through Sun Mar 25; see www.pnb.org for a complete schedule. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, 441-2424, 7:30 pm, $18—$145.
TOM SWAFFORD FAREWELL CONCERT
Equally at home improvising music out of thin air or composing notes on paper, Swafford exemplifies the new breed of composer/improviser. Alas, like many adventurous musicians of late, he’s leaving town for the Big Apple. For this farewell concert, a passel of musicians perform a selection of Swafford compositions, ranging from compositions for solo oboe, piano, plus prerecorded tape as well as solos and duos for clarinet to a violin/viola improvisation and tangos for piano and violin. Also Sat Feb 24 with over a half-dozen different musicians, including yours truly. Gallery 1412, 1412 18th Ave, 322-1533, 8 pm, $5—$15 sliding scale donation.
CLIMAX GOLDEN TWINS
Named after a battered Edwardian-era cigar tin, these venerable electronicians should be the first stop for anyone wanting to explore Seattle’s experimental music scene. True to form, CGT remain unpredictable; according to cofounder Rob Millis, “we have become more of an improv/rock/noise/free hillbilly/collage band with a drummer… or something like that.” Don’t miss ’em. With Unnatural Helpers, a thrashy, hook-mongering pop group. Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823, 10 pm, $5.
FRIDAY MARCH 23
LADIES MUSICAL CLUB
Accompanied by Music for Lunch mastermind Jennifer Bowman on the piano, soprano Beth Ann Bonnecroy sings songs by Purcell, Fauré, Duparc, and Quilter. Pianist Delores Borgir essays Chopin’s Preludes, op. 28. Women’s University Club, 1105 Sixth Ave, 623-0402, 7:30 pm, free.
BUDDY CATLETT TRIO
Catlett, a bassist who has gigged with just about everybody, most notably Count Basie and Frank Sinatra, leads a trio with John Hansen (piano) and Greg Williamson (drums). Hiroshi’s Restaurant, 2501 Eastlake Ave E, 726-4966, 7:30—10 pm, free.
SATURDAY MARCH 24
ADAM HOLZMAN
This commanding guitarist, heard on many Naxos CDs, plays music by J. S. Bach, Sergio Assad, and others. Recital Hall at Benaroya, 200 University St, 297-8788, 7:30 pm, $22/$28.
GRETA MATASSA QUINTET
One of our burg’s finest jazz vocalists, Matassa sings standards, old chestnuts, and snazzy originals. With vibraphonist Susan Pascal. Tula’s, 2214 Second Ave, 443-4221, 8:30 pm—12:30 am, $12.
TUESDAY MARCH 27
SEATTLE CHAMBER GROUP
Not the Seattle Chamber Players but an entirely distinct ensemble. Reprising their February inaugural concert, pianist Roger Nelson, singer Janna Wachter, and saxophonist Scott Granlund present music by Dan Coleman, Ivan Sokolov, and others. Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 1729 Harvard Ave, 285-2282, 8 pm, $10.
